The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-20
HANGING FOR WOMEN.
An Interesting Chapter on the Exccu-
ton OF Females.
NEW YORK STATE.

ihO pucoeioh Va CuPilh puhioh'hSh
for women is one which is attracting
considerable attention just at present
There has always been certain elias:
Of society in favor of discriminating
between murder by man and murder
by woman. The recent reprieve OF
Mrs. Roxalana Druse, of Herkimer
county, New York, by Governor Hill,
has again precipitated the discussion on
the subject, and the New York World
has compiled accounts of the execution
Of females throughout the United
States.
The case of Mrs. Annalette Haight,
whose death sentence was committed to
Imprisonment for life, is referred to as
q parallel to the Druse case.
Previous to the Haight case the first
case of the character named is that of
Mrs. Mary, alias Polly" Firsch, of
Genesee county, who was sentenced to
death for pc soning her husband and
two children.
OHIO.
So far as the available records of
Ohio show there never was but one
woman judicially executed in the State.
and that was n colored woman named
Esther Clark, prisoner in the Ohio
Penitentiary who killed white woman
prisoner, and was publicly executed in
the city of Columbus on the 9th of
February, 1874. The fact that she was
negro, and her victim white, blended
public opinion. Otherwise it would
have been enlisted in behalf of her
sex. She was executed on the same
gallows with white man, also q pris-
oner, who, the next day after the
woman's crime, murdered his keeper.
There have been less than half dozen
convictions of women for murder in
the first degree in Ohio since its organ
ization as a State and none, with the
above exception, paid the death penal
ty, public opinion compelling sentence
to imprisonment Probably the last
conviction of woman for murder in
the first degree in the State was that of
Mrs Sarah NJ. Victor, of Cleveland,
who was found gully. on purely circum-
stantial evidence, of having poisoned
her brother to secure $4,000 life in
surance policy made payable to her.
self. She was sentenced to be hanged,
but public sentiment was so strong
that the Governor COMMITTED the
sentence to lite Imprisonment, and the
same sentiment demanded her pardon,
which Governor Foraker granted.
PENNSYLVANIA.
The law of Pennsylvania does not
make a distinction in the punishment
Of murder on account of sex, and but
three years ago woman named Catha.
rine Miller and her accomplce. George
Smith, were hanged at Williamsport in
that state, for the murder of Mrs. Mil
ler's husband. Smith beat Miller to
death and Mrs. Miller simply furnished
the rope with which to string the dead
man up, so as TO create the impression
that he had committed suicide. In this
ease Governor Pattson refused to in
tarfere. The proof was clearly estab-
ished that Mrs. Miller and Smith had
plotted TO Kill the woman's husband,
and the death warrant was issued with
put opposition. The execution was
notable one. Mrs. Miller screamed
like mad person as she was carried to
he gallows.
A few months ago Annie Cutler
young colored girl. shot her betrayer
N Philadelphia. for which offense she
was sentenced to life Imprisonment
An application for commutatIon of
sentence was made to the pardon board,
md that body committed the sentence
% one of eight years
CONNECTICUT.
The only similar case in the state of
Connecticut to that of Mrs. Druse was
hat of Lydia Sherman. who poisoned
wo or three husbands and several chill
iren, several years ago. She had her
sentence commutcd by the Legislature
o state prison for life.
As far as can be ascertained here
here has not been a woman hanged
n that state since colonial days. The
custom seems TO have been Of late years
or juries to convict women of murder
n the second degree and send them to
tate nrison for life.